Navy doctor braves fog and hailstorm in Hudson River marathon swim to become first Singaporean to achieve feat

SINGAPORE: A medical officer with the Republic of Singapore Navy has become the first Singaporean to complete the challenging 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim in New York.

Dr Chua Jia Long braved cold waters and bad weather conditions last week to accomplish the feat, which has been touted as one of the longest marathon swims in the world.

The epic endurance challenge spans seven days over a total distance of 193km – about the length of Singapore’s coastline.

Participants swim non-stop for four to six hours each day from one bridge to the next, with each leg covering distances ranging from 21km to 32km.
 

Despite intense training for months leading up to the swim, Dr Chua said no amount of preparation could have prepared him for bad weather.

“This swim was the most physically daunting and challenging thing I have ever done in my whole life,” he told CNA’s Singapore Tonight via video conference from New York on Monday (Jun 19). 

ENDURING BAD WEATHER

Just before the first leg of the swim, which kicked off the marathon event at Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Hudson, a haze shrouded New York as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed parts of the state.

Over the seven days, the 32-year-old encountered thunderstorms, heavy fog, and even endured a hailstorm while trying to reach the next bridge before the river tide changed.  

“If you don't complete a stage before the tide switches, you start swimming against the current. You are then fighting an uphill task, and it is nearly impossible to get to the end point,” he said.

The river was also cold, causing his muscles to cramp when he hit the water.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) showed the river’s temperature last week at about 22 to 23 degrees Celsius, much lower than what a Singaporean would be used to.

When asked if there were moments he felt like giving up during the gruelling swim, Dr Chua replied, chuckling: “Oh, 100 per cent.”

“In those moments, it was really about hanging on to those little nuggets of strength that kept me going no matter how tough it got,” he told CNA938.

However, the marathon swimmer said the uncertainty of success made the challenge all the more alluring.

“If there was a 100 per cent chance of completing the swim, then I probably wouldn’t have been so passionate about wanting to take on this challenge. It would have taken away a lot from the sacrifice and the hard work put into it,” he said.

“I think there’s a bit of joy, challenge and satisfaction in aiming to do something that might just be out of your grasp.”

AN OVERDUE DREAM

The achievement is an overdue dream come true for Dr Chua, who had hoped to participate in the 2020 edition of the swim, before COVID-19 shuttered airports and foiled his plans.

Instead, the medical officer was attached to St Luke's Hospital as part of his residency training during the pandemic.

There, he provided home medical services to patients who were not physically well enough to travel to the hospital, as well as conducted palliative and rehabilitative care.

His stint at the community hospital in Bukit Batok inspired him to set up a fundraising campaign in conjunction with his marathon swim.

“The experience made me want to give back,” he said, adding that he saw first-hand how the hospital helped patients.

His ‘Swim for St Luke's Hospital’ campaign on the give.asia fundraising platform had raised S$75,000 as of Wednesday, and will close on Jul 16.

HOW HIS MEDICAL BACKGROUND HELPED

Dr Chua said that while he is not a professional athlete, having a medical background helped him through the experience.

After each stage of the marathon, he could identify aches and pains and remedy solutions such as medication or stretches to target those issues, and get himself ready for the next day’s swim.

During prep work prior to the event, he reached out to those who have completed the challenge and reviewed their training plans. He also consulted professional coaches who specialised in long distance sports on how best to prepare for such a swim, both physically and mentally.

“I took the information that I learnt, put that together with my medical background to see what was a safe and sustainable tempo for training and used that as the basis to prepare for the swim,” he said.

Dr Chua, who has been swimming from a young age, said his love for the water only reignited in recent years after leaving medical school.

“As with most people, physical activities took a back seat when I went to medical school. Studies were more important,” he said.

“It was only after graduating and really realising how important health is that I picked up water sports again.”

He has trained in open waters and swum at events around the Asia-Pacific region, which have equipped him with skills to deal with strong currents and navigate uncertain waters, the marathon swimmer said.

When asked if he would return to the Hudson River or seek adventures elsewhere, Dr Chua replied: “The world is a big place. There are many water bodies – oceans, rivers, lakes out there. I definitely have things that I want to achieve.”